SO IT MUST BE TRUE, RIGHT???...yes it's an old joke. It's on the internet so it must be true. The "truth" that is out there may not be so truthful. We bring this up right after we told you where to get good information to illustrate a point. There is something called "primary" data, which is information from the horse's mouth, and there is "secondary" data, that is information from companies, people and governmental agencies that take the same primary data and re-gift it in different ways. The census is primary data because they asked you directly about you, they did not buy information about you from someone else. Sales tax figures from the City of Ponca City is primary data 'cause they are the ones who collect this information. The farther you get away from the census, the more questionable secondary data for communities under 50k people becomes. That's because a) smaller communities have to wait from census to census for primary data since they are typically not resurveyed every few years; and b) it becomes harder and harder to figure out the timing of when the data you see on line was collected, how it was extrapolated, if the comparison is really apples to apples, etc. It's like the copy of the copy of the copy. Here's a case in point from this week: Ponca City Police Chief Don Bohon reported to the City Commission on Monday night. It was in all the papers. Ponca City's crime rate is below the state average. If you look at some of the internet sources, Ponca City's crime rate is way above the average. The fun fact is that the original data, (the "primary" data) came from the Ponca City PD in the first place. It's not like McGruff the Crime Dog is monitoring crime in Ponca City and reporting directly to "the internet." The interesting journey the original, now dated, diffused crime data took through the bytes and bits of the internet to become the bad data that it is today is the result of a number of different factors, none of which are under the control or can be changed by the Ponca City PD, PCDA or any human being you know. So when you see things on line that "must" be true, be careful. When you see those silly "Best places to raise your hamster" lists, (which are based upon internet data) be aware. Now excuse us, we just noticed that the National Association of Realtors web site lists Ponca City's unemployment rate at 9% so we need to go bang our head on the wall, (and try to make the appropriate contacts.